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Sunday, January 29, 2017

After several shows at smaller venues in Athens over the last few years, it was time for The KVB to try their luck at a bigger club. On Saturday night the duo comprising of Nicholas Wood (a.k.a. Klaus Von Barrel) and Kat Day played their first show for 2017 at Fuzz Club, their biggest gig in Athens so far.

Although it is not easy for just two musicians to fill out a big stage, The KVB’s energy and on-stage chemistry did a fine job with the task at hand and despite a polite but rather lukewarm reception from the crowd, they managed to give a memorable performance.

The duo’s 75-minute set, including an encore featuring their interpretation of The Rolling Stones’ classic "Sympathy for the Devil", showcased their latest LP "Of Desire", as well as several selections from their back catalogue which includes four more albums and a few EPs.

Nicholas, whose singing brought Jim Reid to my mind, put his guitar to the test, bringing the noise and adding layers of shoegaze-indebted fuzz to the songs, while Kat was in charge of the synths and drum machine beats that emphasize the importance of the early '80s in shaping The KVB’s sound, as well as the influence of electronic dance music.

The KVB may be lacking the hit songs that will bring their music to a larger audience, but their live presence has a passion that contrasts with the dark nature of their sound and give the impression that they play their music for each other, which helps them to put on a good show even when they are not getting back from the crowd the same energy, as it was the case on this night.

The KVB, live @ Fuzz Club, Athens (Jan. 28, 2017)

The KVB’s performance was preceded by an energetic set from local hopefuls A Victim Of Society. The handful of people who had come early enough to catch their performance, were rewarded by a powerful show of pedal to the metal noise rock.